Saturday, May 31, 2014

Skin Cancer FM

In the 1950s many countries began to see a dramatic increase in the skin cancer melanoma. Professors Örgan Hallberg and Olle Johansson,* noted that the sharp upsurge of skin cancer had begun in 1955, around six years before flying off for a holiday in the sun became popular, and looked for other possible causes. Previous research suggested a link between the risk of developing melanoma and the distance people lived from FM radio transmitters, so they decided to research the link in more depth. [1]

Analysing data from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the US, they found roughly similar experiences in all four countries:

The rolling out of FM transmitter towers led to the same increase in melanoma skin cancer after the same delay

The more FM transmitter towers in a country, the higher the levels of melanoma skin cancer

This finding was echoed in Australia, where a significant increase in melanoma skin cancer deaths between 1964 and 1967 corresponded with the introduction of high power TV antenna masts.

Örgan and Olle’s 2004 and 2005 studies confirmed these findings. [2,3] Focusing this time on melanoma skin cancer and what happened in the separate counties within Sweden, they discovered the same strong links. They also concluded that:

there was a stronger link between developing melanoma and exposure to electromagnetic waves from FM transmitter towers than with exposure to ultraviolet radiation

continuous disturbance of cell repair mechanisms by electromagnetic fields seemed to amplify the carcinogenic cell damage caused by other factors like ultraviolet radiation

Örgan and Olle also looked at the data for all cancer deaths in Sweden since 1912. This showed that:

rates started to increase in 1920 when medium wave radio was introduced

the rate of increase jumped significantly in 1955 when Sweden got FM radio and TV1

the rate jumped again in 1969-70 when TV2 and colour TV were brought in

the rate dropped sharply in 1978 when the use of the old AM broadcasting transmitter towers declined and

the rate started to increase again about 4-5 years later

They also noted a strong geographical relationship between transmitter towers and clusters of skin cancer and lung, breast and colon cancer.

Ed.- (i) As further evidence that the human body is affected by radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF), Örgan and Olle cited1 the fascinating work by Augustsson and Stierner. [2,3] They recorded the locations of moles and melanoma on the bodies of hundreds of volunteers, then combined the results in a ‘dot density map’ and discovered that some locations were more popular than others. They then drew on the lines of the tiny electric currents generated in the body by exposure to RF and noted a strong overlap, suggesting a link.

Augustsson and Stierner also noted that the highest mole densities were found in areas that were not normally exposed to sunshine.

A copy of this article may be downloaded free of charge from websitewww.acnem.org/journal/211_april_2002/cancer_trends.htm

* from the Karolinska Institute’s Department of Neuroscience in Stockholm, Sweden

Many of the box-shaped ‘microcell mobile phone base stations’ mounted on walls and lamposts continuously irradiate the public with as high levels of microwaves as the free-standing antennae mounted on church spires and school roofs (macrocell base stations). These ‘microcell’ base stations are typically positioned between three and six metres above the ground and are often disguised, e.g. as burglar alarms.

An NRPB (National Radiation Protection Board*) survey found that many of the microcell masts they tested exposed the public to microwave fields as strong as 5Volts per metre (5V/m). Their report also noted that “around 6% were radiating more than 5 watts”. The mobile network operators have also sometimes installed high-power ‘macrocell’ base stations at microcell sites. Their antennae often face domestic bedrooms and living rooms just across the street, causing the highest microwave irradiation of people: often between three and ten volts per metre.

Because ‘Microcell base stations’ blend in with the street and are less than ten metres above the ground, they do not require any planning permission or council consultation thanks to a ‘de minimus’ loophole in planning law. The term ‘de minimis’ comes from the Latin legal phrase ‘De minimis non curat lex’, which means ‘The law does not care about very small matters’. This shows official contempt for the widespread public concern about the potential adverse health effects. For most of us, being irradiated is not “a very small matter”. The mobile network operators have taken full advantage of the loophole. In one square quarter-of-a-mile in Soho, for instance, there are now 150 mobile phone base stations, 94 of which are less than 10 metres above the ground. The antennae often face bedrooms and living rooms just across the street continually irradiating people with far higher levels of microwaves than needed for the operation of a mobile phone network.

Although the UK Government has agreed to a precautionary approach in this matter but the maximum safe exposure levels they permit are nearly a hundred times higher than the 0.6 V/m precautionary principle ceiling recommended by Austria’s 1998 Salzburg Resolution nearly fifty and the 1.2 - 2.5V/m limits adopted in Paris. ‘Volts per metre’ is not a unit with which most people are familiar. If the Salzburg precautionary ceiling of 0.6V/m is seen in terms of risk as the ‘equivalent to’ a 30mph vehicle speed limit in residential areas, the Government 58V/m limit is obviously not at all precautionary - the equivalent to doing 2847 miles per hour in a residential area. Reckless might be a better description. Exposures from microcell base stations recorded in the survey show that many city dwellers are being continually exposed to risks equivalent of cars driving 147 to 500mph in built up areas.

Ed.- (i) Powerwatch has devised an index which gives a quick rule-of-thumb means of assessing base stations to check that the radiation is as low as possible. Visit website: www.powerwatch.org.uk/gen/lpamasts.asp

(ii) The mobile service operators had registered 5,008 such base stations by the end of 2004. There were almost certainly many more unregistered stations at that time ( they did not and still do not require planning permission), and there will certainly be considerably more (registered and unregistered) by now.

* On 1 April 2005 the National Radiological Protection Board merged with the UK’s Health Protection Agency, forming its new Radiation Protection Division. The Division continues to operate from the old NRPB headquarters at Chilton in Oxfordshire. Its contact details are now:

In 2000, the Swedish health authorities recognised electromagnetic hypersensitivity (‘electrosensitivity’ or ES for short) as a physical illness, where exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can severely disrupt health. They estimate that 3% of their population is affected. The UK’s Radiation Protection Division has finally agreed to research the issue.

There is now ample evidence that exposure to EMFs can cause biological changes in the human body. Electrosensitivity expert associate professor Olle Johansson at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, for instance, has shown that it increases the number of mast cells near the surface of the skin, the same as occurs after exposure to radioactivity.

Electrosensitive people are likely to be affected by mobile phones and phone masts.

DEBUNKING THE UTILITY INDUSTRY MYTH ABOUT SMART METER SAFETY:

THE ANTENNA EFFECT

The utility industry's argument that smart (AMR, ERT) meters are safe must be rejected, because it relies on FCC testing for radiofrequency (RF) interference, which is not a safety testing protocol, and flawed FCC radiation exposure guidelines. The FCC testing for smart meters is done in an isolated laboratory, divorced from the context in which these meters are intended to be used, connected to the wiring in a home or business.

We present below compelling technical and empirical proof that, when these meters are used as intended, they cause an antenna effect, inflicting great harm to occupants inside their homes and businesses. When used as intended, smart meters that appear to be safe in the testing laboratory are lethal.

1. An RF engineer's technical report confirms that smart meters cause an antenna effect when connected to electrical distribution systems, resulting in extraordinary RF exposures that are significantly higher than those reported in isolated laboratory testing.

Stop Smart Meters New York (SSMNY) hired an RF engineering firm named Isotrope "[t]o evaluate the devices in situ" and to make "a field survey of the various emissions of concern, employing an array of electronic test equipment." Isotrope concluded, among other things, that the radiated- and conducted-emissions testing of electrical meters that was performed by the FCC "does not replicate actual conditions...." By contrast, when Isotrope tested a meter in usage as intended, connected to a home wiring grid, "the conducted emissions from the meter at 915 MHz ISM frequencies in a residence was observed to be substantial,"

This confirms what we refer to as the antenna effect of smart meters, which results in emissions that far exceed those reported when meters are tested in a laboratory setting, disconnected from wiring. The Isotrope Report goes on to state that "if the 915 MHz conducted energy were to be held to the same standard as 30 MHz, the level of the 915 MHz conducted energy from the AMR meter would fail."

The Isotrope report thus substantiates that smart meters cause an extraordinary RF/MW antenna effect on electrical distribution systems when they are used as intended, rather than in the isolation of a testing laboratory.

2. The smart meter antenna effect results in injury to occupants of homes and business even where the meter is installed up to 150 feet away.

Many people are reporting becoming ill after smart meters, including AMR and ERT models, are installed on, in or near their homes and businesses. Reported symptoms include heart palpitations and other cardiac problems, ringing in the ears, sleep problems, anxiety, headaches, nausea, recurrence of cancer and more. These reports are too numerous and too consistent in nature to be dismissed as coincidental.

Where smart meters are installed up to 150 feet away from a home or business, the onset of these symptoms among occupants is attributable to the smart meter antenna effect.

SSMNY found evidence of the antenna effect when we visited the third floor apartment of a multi-family home in upstate New York where the residents, a mother and her daughter, have become very ill since their exposure to the RF/MW conducted then radiated emissions from a smart meter installed on the outside of the ground level of the building. On one occasion when we tested the RF/MW emissions at the meter itself, they were low. Nonetheless, our testing in a third floor bedroom confirmed the meter's antenna effect. In the bedrooms we measured levels of RF/MW emissions that exceeded the highest levels that our instruments would record, far beyond what is considered safe according to the findings in the 2012 BioInitiative Report.In the video, emissions measured zero at the meter, however, minutes later in the apartment the signal was again clearly heard and measured at high levels, disappearing when the circuit to the bedrooms was turned off. No other transmitters were plugged in on the circuit. The utility company has claimed that the meter is “non-transmitting” and no FCC identification number is visible. However, according to the meter's specifications “The kV2c meter family offers a large range of possible AMI communication technologies including RF Mesh, Cellular, Power Line Carrier, RS-232, RS-485, and Analog Phone Modem to support all of your Smart Grid applications.”

The video record that we made of this testing and the smart meter antenna effect at this home can be seen here:

This video record demonstrates the importance of the conducted emissions documented in the Isotrope report and reveals how smart meters can cause illness for people sleeping in bedrooms distant from the meter. Final confirmation would require replacing the smart meter with an independently sourced analog meter and re-testing. Lacking that final proof, this video provides compelling evidence that conducted RW/MW emissions from smart meters can be extremely hazardous. A full investigation by the New York State Health Department and Centers for Disease Control is warranted.

The following video demonstrates the specific and distinct sound and RF/MW measurements of smart meters, using the identical measuring equipment that SSMNY used in the previous video. This corroborates that the signals that are audible in the prior video are attributable to the smart meter installed on the home that SSMNY visited.

The Isotrope report's findings concerning the antenna effect caused by smart meters, and SSMNY's observations of that effect and the injury it causes, debunk attempts by the industry to claim that these meters are safe. Those attempts depend on testing meters in the isolation of an FCC laboratory, without connecting them to wiring grids, using protocols which urgently need to be updated.

The utility industry and government regulators have presented no evidence that smart meters are safe. Moreover, the findings presented above confirm that these meters are unsafe despite the fact that they may appear to be operating within flawed FCC guidelines, in the isolation of the testing laboratory. They demonstrate that FCC testing needs to be updated from interference testing to health-based testing. In addition, the FCC should obtain assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in establishing health-based standards and testing protocols.

The utility industry and government regulators made a dangerous mistake when they invested so heavily in smart meter technology before testing their impact on human health and safety. The industry should not be permitted to inflict the consequences of that mistake on us and our families by deploying this dangerous technology in our homes and businesses, against our will.

The FCC should acknowledge the inadequacy of its testing, remove these meters from the market and require utilities to replace non-analog meters with purely mechanical analog meters.

Head, Neck, Ear, and Throat Surgeries on the Rise

Within 1 year only: nose-ear-throat surgeries in Rambamhospital increased in 100%

More than 2000 surgeries were done during 2013 in thenose-ear-throat department in Rambam, 2 fold more compared tothe previous year

By Doron Solomon

The number of head, neck, and nose-ear-throat surgeries inRambam were doubled within one year. According to the data ofthe nose-ear-throat department, the increase was registeredmainly in oncology surgeries of the mouth, head and neck,larynx and children surgeries. Thyroid surgeries increased380% during last year. Increase of 320% was in surgeries forremoving tumors in the throat area (from 40 to 128 surgeries).Surgeries of the parotid gland tumors increased 260% in 2013.But the most impressive increase of all, is the increase of1000% (from 5 to 49) in the number of head and neck surgeries.An additional increase was registered in the number of peopletreated in the nose-ear-throat department and head and necksurgeries, who arrived from central Israel. In 2013, 1/4 ofthe people treated in the department arrived from south toHedera. According to the director of the department, professorZiv Gil, who started working 1.5 years ago, the data isevidence for the reputation of the department: "As someone whoarrived to Rambam from Ichilov, I know how medicine wasperceived in the periphery compared to the medical servicesgiven in the center. The fact that more and more patients arecoming to us from the center, and the huge increase in thelevel of activity in the department, speaks for itself. Webelieve in the saying: "the north is the center". The evidencefor this is the fact that every day we see more and morepatients who arrive from Eilat, Beer Sheva, Ashkelon,Bnei-Brack, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Quality is not a matter ofgeography, and the patients certainly understand that".

The reason for this increase is explained by professor Gilwith a simple medical formula: "the data that arrive from theUS and Australia, show that the chances of the patient to getover cancer are 30% higher in university centers like Rambam,where the patient is treated by a team of experts, compared toa treatment by a single doctor", he clarifies and adds: "thenose-ear-throat and head and neck department doubled itsactivity during a short period of time, and we intend tocontinue spreading. In the north of the country there isliving a large population, entitled to quality of medicaltreatment, of the kind that can only be found in universityhospitals, and we are here in order to address this need".

CBS news put together a pictoral on radiation sickness that I thought was interesting. You can see it here.

If yo don’t want to see the pictures they are (all text from the site):

1. Nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are typically the earliest symptoms of radiation sickness. The higher the dose of radiation, the sooner these symptoms appear – and the worse the prognosis. Someone who starts to vomit within one hour of exposure is likely to die.

Sometimes people with radiation sickness feel bad at first and then start to feel better. But often new, more serious symptoms appear within hours, days, or even a few weeks of this "latent" stage.

2. Spontaneous bleeding

Radiation sickness can cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, gums, and rectum. It can cause people to bruise easily and to bleed internally as well – and even to vomit blood.

The problems occur because radiation depletes the body of platelets, the cellular fragments in the blood that are form clots to control bleeding.

3. Bloody diarrhea

Radiation "targets" cells in the body that reproduce rapidly – and that includes cells that line the intestinal tract. Radiation sickness causes major irritation of the intestinal lining, resulting in severe and sometimes bloody diarrhea.

4. Sloughing of skin

Areas of skin exposed to radiation may turn blister and turn red – almost like a severe sunburn. In some cases open sores form. The skin may even slough off.

5. Hair loss

Radiation damages hair follicles. As a result, people who get a big dose of radiation often lose their hair within two to three weeks. Sometimes the loss of hair is permanent.

6. Severe fatigue

Radiation sickness can cause people to feel weak and out of sorts – almost like having a bad version of the flu. It can dramatically reduce the number of red blood cells, causing anemia and and increased risk of fainting.

7. Mouth ulcers

Radiation sickness can cause visible ulcers in or on the mouth. In addition, ulcers often form in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines.

8. Infections

Along with red cells, radiation sickness can reduce the risk of infection-fighting white cells in the body. As a result, the risk of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections is heightened.

Hidden EMF’s Are Frying Your Thyroid Gland

(Stephanie A. Buist) Many do not know what this is, but soon I believe we will be forced to learn more than we ever wanted to know about it. It is a threat to our society. It can cause illness symptoms in infants, children and adults. Those at highest risk are the individuals with low immunity.

People who are sensitive to EMFs may experience symptoms like:

Nervous system issues – sleep disturbances, fatigue, jittery feeling

Muscular aches and pains

Burning of the eyes and deteriorating eyesight

Prickling and burning sensations on the skin along with unexplained rashes

Foggy brain

Feelings of depression and / or anxiety

Ear, nose, throat and digestive issues

Infertility

Leukemia has been linked to EMF exposure along with breast and other cancer clusters

WHAT EXACTLY ARE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS?

Electromagnetic fields are areas of energy that surround electronic devices. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the electric fields are created by differences in voltage and magnetic fields when the electric current flows. These electromagnetic fields affect our body because we have our own electrical responses within our nervous, brain, heart and digestive systems. The constant exposure to EMF’s, therefore, creates adverse effects. In dark field microscopy we can actually view the degradation of cells when they are exposed to just a minute or two of EMFs. The following video is of cellular exposure to a Smart Meter.

Around your home – power lines (high voltage cables either overhead or buried in the ground), transformers (the gray cylinders raised up on poles that look like trash cans), electrical substations, cell phone towers, cities that provide citywide wireless Internet (WiFi) and smart meters

Airplanes – airplanes are now offering wi-fi onboard which is a constant exposure to the occupants.

Now that you know what an EMF is, what does it have to do with your thyroid gland?

Throughout the day you are being exposed to this radiation and no one in the healthcare community seems to care about it. And no one is talking about it. Our children are being exposed to 100 million times more electromagnetic fields than our grandparents were. The accumulation of the electromagnetic pollution that they are being exposed to is slowing down the function of their thyroid gland which can be linked to ADD/ADHD, depression, fatigue and weight gain. Yet many doctors do not look for this as an underlying cause in both children and adults but instead dole out ADD and anti-depressant medications.

Israeli scientists now believe that they have found a link between EMFs and thyroid cancer. This is the form of cancer that I had. I am not ready to jump on board and say this is the only issue. Other factors such as low iodine and selenium in our soil and foods along with toxic exposure to halides also play a role in cancer. This may be the straw that breaks the camels back. There are some who believe that radiation exposure makes thyroid cancer worse when there is already a diagnosis.

As you can see from the L-Com website there are cellular antennas that operate at 900 MHz. At 900 MHz it was discovered that the thyroid gland sustains damage according to this PubMed study. Further information reveals that consuming Vitamin C and Vitamin E can help to protect the thyroid gland for oxidative damage.

Another study showed that the pulse modulated 900 MHz radiation induced hypothyroidism and apoptosis (programmed cell death) in the thyroid gland. The conclusion of the study stated: “The overall findings indicated that whole body exposure to pulse-modulated RF radiation that is similar to that emitted by global system for mobile communications (GSM) mobile phones can cause pathological changes in the thyroid gland by altering the gland structure and enhancing caspase-dependent pathways of apoptosis.”

Our species is sliding quickly down a slippery slope. We all love our electronic devices and complain when the service on our cell phone drops or our tablets won’t connect. As a solution to this cellular companies have increased the number of cell phone towers by placing them on water towers, school yards, church buildings and government offices. They are even negotiating with farmers to place them on their fields.

There seems to be no way to escape. My prediction is that we will be seeing an increase in thyroid problems, cancers and skyrocketing rates of infertility. We are already seeing these things now but they are about to get much worse as the massive roll out of smart meters covers the United States adding another layer of exposure. But smart meters are a topic for another blog.

- See more at: http://healthydebates.com/hidden-emfs-frying-thyroid-gland/#sthash.Ic6Y4yhL.dpuf

See also:

Although electromagnetic fields frequently stimulate glandular activity in the short

term, long term exposure is often harmful in that the gland ceases to work properly. This is particularly serious for the glands of the endocrine system (those that coordinate our bodily functions) since it can affect many aspects of metabolism and throw the whole body out of kilter. For example it may be responsible, at least in part, for the current outbreak of obesity and the many other illnesses that stem from it.

An good example of this is the thyroid gland, which is in an exposed position in the

front of the neck. Rajkovic et al. (2003) showed that after three months exposure to power line frequencies, the thyroid glands of rats showed visible signs of deterioration. They also lost their ability to produce the thyroid hormones, which they did not recover even after the fields were switched off. Esmekaya et al. (2010) found a similar visible deterioration of the thyroid gland in rats exposed to simulated 2G cell phone radiation for 20 minutes a day for three weeks. Eskander et al. (2012) found that people living for six years within 100 metros of a cell phone base station showed a significant reduction in the release into the blood of a number of hormones, including ACTH from the pituitary gland, cortisol from the adrenal glands, and prolactin and testosterone from organs elsewhere. However, the most highly significant loss was in their ability to produce the thyroid hormones. The expected consequence of this is hypothyroidism, the most frequent symptoms of which are fatigue and obesity. It may not be a coincidence that about a quarter of a million UK citizens are now suffering from what is being diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, and about eight out of ten are either overweight or clinically obese.

Invitation

Please click here to download the full programme, and here for Program Booklet Errata

The BioEM2014 Local Organizing Committee, The Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA), welcome you to Cape Town, South Africa, for the Annual Joint Meeting of our two societies from 8 to 13 June 2014.

As the premier international conference in the area of bioelectromagnetics, BioEM2014 is expected to stimulate further research in this field through the exchange of ideas and lively debate on state-of-the-art knowledge, as well as gaps to be filled.

With the increased presence of electromagnetic fields (EMF) in our everyday lives, the meeting aims at presenting and advancing high quality research in basic and applied aspects of bioelectromagnetics to address the health concerns, regulations and medical applications associated with EMF. The program of the meeting will provide a comprehensive overview of the field of bioelectromagnetics - from fundamental research topics on the interactions between living tissue and EM energy to medical applications. BioEM2014 will feature invited plenary talks by world-renowned scientists, a variety of special sessions and panel discussions aligned with the most pressing issues in the field of bioelectromagnetics as well as informative technical sessions, poster sessions, and social functions. Student competitions are also a focus of the conferences. Students from around the world will have the opportunity to present their work in an oral or poster session while developing their technical communication skills and networking with the bioelectromagnetics community.

We look forward to meeting you at the Table Bay Hotel, situated in the V&A Waterfront. It started off with a small jetty, built by Jan van Riebeeck in 1654 as part of his task to establish a refreshment station at the foot of Africa for the Dutch East India Company. The Cape had become a stopover for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India and the Far East on their quest for exotic goods. From these humble beginnings the harbour and city continued to be further developed and in 1988 parts of the historic docklands were redeveloped to establish the V&A Waterfront.

Cape Town also offers many other tourist attractions, such as Table Mountain and the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison.

We trust that this will be a fruitful scientific meeting against the backdrop of one of the best loved cities on the African continent.

Follow by Email

Followers

About Me

While I have always been extremely health conscious and am presently in excellent health, I did become temporarily out-of-commission (i.e. I was really sick) in 2005 with a number of at the time unexplainable symptoms. I was quite puzzled at the time because I had been eating mainly organically grown food, drinking spring water, doing Yoga every morning, and going to the gym several times a week. In other words, I was doing everything one is supposed to do to stay healthy. I was not supposed to get sick. It took me six months before discovering or even imagining the main source of the problem - which was in fact "overexposure to electromagnetic" - especially microwave - radiation. I was living within 200 meters of two cell phone towers at the time and within 500 meters of a 3rd one with numerous WiFi signals bleeding into my apartment from adjacent neighbors. I developed a host of symptoms, which are found in what has been misleadingly described as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) -- but much more accurately described as Radio Wave or Microwave Sickness. Large numbers of people in the USA suddenly started getting sick in 1984...